Now Deuba faces 10-yr jail term

The commission, appointed by King Gyanendra after he sacked Deuba and seized all powers on February 1, has the powers to investigate, prosecute and pronounce judicial verdicts.

Deuba and one of his ministers, Prakash Man Singh, have been refusing to cooperate with the commission, maintaining that ‘‘it is set up to victimise politicians, and lacks constitutional validity’’. They have been under detention for nearly three weeks now.

They have been charged with making money in a 464-million dollar multi-donor water project while awarding contracts. But donors like ADB have told the government that they were satisfied with the procedure followed in awarding the contract.

Four others—Dr Mohammad Mohasin, Yuvraj Gyawali, Purna Bahadur Khadka and Homnath Dahal—have been accused of adopting irregular and illegal methods in providing financial assistance to their supporters during the Dussehra festival from the Prime Minister’s fund.

The four leaders, who have clean images in public life, said that the assistance granted was in line with the earlier practice and the recipients were mostly victims of Maoist violence.

The commission, criticised for being biased, has also been accused of being selective in its investigations. It has not probed the award of Rs 12 million by the same cabinet to a royal family member for her treatment. Incidentally, the total assistance provided by the ministers under probe is roughly a million rupees.

There’s a growing feeling here that the commission, whose tenure was extended even after the King lifted the state emergency on April 30, will take to task most politicians who have opposed the royal takeover.